Police: Boy, 15, takes loaded handgun to Glen Burnie school

School officials found a loaded handgun on a 15-year-old student at Glen Burnie High School in Anne Arundel County on Tuesday, police said.

County police said the 10th-grade student left the campus and returned around noon, which prompted a school employee to confront him. Police said the boy was asked why he left and returned since the school is not an open campus.

"Things seemed to be misleading and didn't seem to fit, so there were two assistant principals there at the time of the search," said schools spokesman Bob Mosier.

Police said school administrators found a .22-caliber handgun containing seven rounds. The school resource officer was immediately contacted and took the gun and book bag.

The student was taken into custody without incident on numerous juvenile weapons violations. Police said they continue to investigate where the gun came from and why the student brought it to the campus.

"Based on our initial investigation, there is no indication that he was working with anyone else, that he displayed the weapon or that he threatened anyone with the weapon," said police spokesman Justin Mulcahy.

Police said the boy would be taken to the Cheltenham Youth Facility in Prince George's County pending the outcome of the criminal charges.

School resource officers are assigned to each Anne Arundel County school, and the schools do mock emergency drills five times a year, Mosier said. A letter sent home to parents said that "appropriate disciplinary action" would be taken against the student in addition to the criminal charges.

School officials can't report specific punishments but said possession of a firearm is considered a Level 6 offense, with consequences ranging from placement in an alternative program to expulsion.

Meanwhile, parents praised the school's staff for averting a situation that could have been a lot more dangerous.

"I just thank God that the people at the school did what they did and caught him, because it could have been my daughter that could have gotten hurt. It's really upsetting," said parent Shannon Kruemmel.

"The parents are responsible for making sure that the kids don't do stupid things. It's not the teachers' problem. It's not the school administration's fault. It's the parents' fault," said mom Carol Evans. "I know what's in my daughter's backpack. I don't understand why other parents don't do the same."

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